


Countdown

by starryknightskies



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Blood, M/M, angsty, but its there, is a sad one bois, lifeline timers, nothing excessive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-29
Updated: 2019-10-29
Packaged: 2021-01-08 03:10:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21228812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starryknightskies/pseuds/starryknightskies
Summary: Timers that showed people their lifespans. It’s something everyone had, always steadily ticking down until it reaches the end of its run. It wasn’t something Virgil liked spending a lot of time thinking about, never really having the urge to look before. He always figured that his time will end when it’ll end, what good would knowing how much longer he had left do? It would just cause him to stress, worry, about every little thing going on around him when it was time, and he would much rather just be caught off guard. But then he met Roman, and that changed everything.





	Countdown

**Author's Note:**

> Written for scaryandspookypotato's post on tumblr: https://starry-knight-skies.tumblr.com/post/188607868167
> 
> But I hope you enjoy!! And as always, feedback is greatly appreciated! It keeps me motivated to write more!

Timers that showed people their lifespans. It’s something everyone had, always steadily ticking down until it reaches the end of its run. It wasn’t something Virgil liked spending a lot of time thinking about, never really having the urge to look before. He always figured that his time will end when it’ll end, what good would knowing how much longer he had left do? It would just cause him to stress, worry, about every little thing going on around him when it was time, and he would much rather just be caught off guard. But then he met Roman, and that changed everything.

He never meant to get caught up in Roman’s enthusiasm, his excitement for life and adventure. It was almost too overwhelming, but there was a sparkle in Roman’s eyes, a grin spread across his face that made Virgil’s heart race, and he found himself falling and falling fast. Each kiss they exchanged left no doubt in his mind that Roman felt the same way, and he found himself daydreaming of a nice, long life with this wonderful man by his side.

Or he was until they looked at their timers. Roman had a nice long life ahead of him, bound to be packed full of excitement and adventure. Something truly worth of someone like him. Virgil had… not that. Less than a year left to live. He had never been afraid of dying before, but knowing the end date somehow made it so real to him. And looking at Roman, the one he loved, how was he supposed to tell him? So he lied and said he had a long life too. Roman never asked to look, and it didn’t come up again. 

But every day, that lie felt heavy on his tongue. Each day when Roman talks about their future, hands waving wildly as he talked grand adventures to go on, new places to see and things to try. Him hinting at maybe one day getting married, and Virgil smiling and shaking his head, saying he’s not ready for it just yet. Roman didn’t mind. They had all the time in the world after all! Why rush into marriage when they can take their time planning it out?

Virgil tried his best to forget about the timer ticking down on his wrist, to just live in the moment and not let his incoming end let him soil the time he had left. It was why he kept silent about the truth from Roman, wanting them to spend each day as they normally would, without any cares or worries between them. If he knew how limited their time together actually was… Virgil didn’t want to think about it. Roman would just stress and worry and go over the top trying to make things ‘perfect’ for him, and it really was better this way.

Some days he was able to forget the whole thing, both the closer the timer went to zero, the more and more Virgil found himself thinking about it. Before he knew it, he was in the last month, the last week, the last day… the last hour. It was all he could think of as he sat at their favorite diner, even as he tried to listen to Roman talk about an audition he was hoping to go to later that week. How could he pay attention to what he was saying when all he could think about was all the different ways it was going to happen. He should say something first, right? Roman had the right to know. 

He spent so long dwelling and debating on it, he didn’t notice anything wrong until the sound of a gun cocking drew his attention. A large man stood, gun in the air, mask on his face, and the whole air felt tense. Was this guy really going to rob a hole-in-the-wall diner? Was he that desperate for money? He was shouting, yelling, waving his gun around and pointing it at anyone who dared move from their booths. 

That was the thing wasn’t it? What does one do in this situation? Sit by and do nothing, or take action? For those with the knowledge that they have a long life ahead, they’d have no fear for their own safety, and Virgil could see Roman standing slowly from the corner of his eye. And, as he lifted an arm to stop him, he could see the timer slip down past the five minute mark, and as the gunman turned his gun in Roman’s direction, Virgil knew what he had to do. 

All the stressing, worrying, none of it mattered, as Virgil slid from his seat, time seeming to slow down as he moved towards Roman, shoving him to the side as the gun went off. Time snapped back to normal at the burning pain that ripped through him, and he stumbled backwards, collapsing on the ground. The sound seemed to startle the gunman out of whatever he had planned on doing, because he booked it as soon as he saw that blood had been spilled. 

“Virgil!” Roman was by his side immediately, hands pushing against the bullet wound but doing little to slow the bleeding. It must have nicked a vein, there was so much. “My stormcloud! Please, hold on! An ambulance is on the way!”

Virgil let out a faint laugh, finding nothing humorous about the situation. “Don’t bother.” Speaking hurt, but time was running out. He needed to tell him, so he wouldn’t worry.

“Don’t bother? Are you kidding me?” Roman was looking at him in disbelief, tears in those beautiful eyes. Virgil wanted to wipe them away but he didn’t have the energy to lift his arm to try. “Of course I’m going to bother! We’re supposed to have a long life together, remember! You’re always worth the bother!”

Virgil shook his head, slowly, painfully, lifting his arm, giving it a shake so his sleeve slid down to reveal his timer, how he had less than two minutes left. “I’m sorry… I should have said sooner.”

Roman gently grabbed his wrist, looking at the ticking numbers in disbelief, almost as if staring at them long enough would give them more time. “No.. no no no. Please no.” Tears were streaming down his face now, very close to breaking down completely. “Virgil please… no.”

Virgil could feel tears sliding down his own face, his vision going black around the edges and strength fading. “I love you…” 

Roman let out a shaky breath and a choked sob, shifting forward to press their foreheads together. “I love you too..” He pressed their lips together for one last kiss, only letting it last a moment before pulling back. A quick glance showed the timer on Virgil’s wrist read zero and he couldn’t hold back his tears any longer. He gathered the limp form in his arms and just sobbed.

**Author's Note:**

> Come chat and hang out with me on my tumblr @ starry-knight-skies


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